Storage container for a refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A storage container for a refrigerator including a container box with a cut-out on a visible side of the container box when the container box is mounted in the refrigerator. The container box includes at least one rod mounted transversely through the cut-out. The rod engages in drillings embodied in head pieces clipped on opposing edges of the cut-our. A spring element is arranged in at least one of the drillings which presses the rod in the longitudinal direction thereof against a stop in the opposite drilling.

The present invention relates to a storage container for mounting in a door of a refrigerator.

These storage containers generally have the shape of substantially rectangular boxes open at the top which are substantially provided to receive chilled goods packed in bottles or glasses. In general, these storage containers are provided with locating means which allow a detachable fixing to the inner surface of the door of a refrigerator at different heights.

Known from DE 101 17 762 A1 is a storage container for a refrigerator where a container box has a cut-out on a visible side and one or two metal rods extend transversely through the cut-out and engage respectively in two drillings on opposing edges of the cut-out.

The metal rods are usually displaceable by a certain distance in their longitudinal direction in the drillings since it is very expensive to adapt the length of the metal rods so that they fit in the drillings free from play. The metal rods are therefore axially displaceable to a certain extent wherein, when they hit a stop, they produce a clattering sound which can give the user the impression of poor finishing quality.

It is certainly possible to eliminate the longitudinal displaceability of the rods by gluing them respectively in at least one of the drillings into which they engage. However, this requires an additional processing step during the assembly of the storage container and thus increases its manufacturing costs. It is also feasible to fix the rods by clamping between their circumferential surface and the drilling but tight dimensional tolerances are required for this and insertion of the rod into the drilling is rendered difficult which in turn increases production expenditure and costs.

It is thus the object of the invention to provide a storage container of the type known from DE 101 17 762 A1 where the movability of the rods is eliminated without this being associated with increased production expenditure.

The object is solved by a storage container having the features of claim 1. By means of the spring element the rod is fixed in its longitudinal direction without particularly tight manufacturing tolerances of the container box or the rods being required for this.

The stop in the second drilling against which the rod is pressed is preferably also implemented as a spring element. As a result, even larger variations in the length of the rod or the dimensions of the container box can be compensated than if only one spring element is provided and in addition, the manufacture of the container box is simplified if the surroundings of the two drillings have the same shape.

The spring element is preferably a tongue which projects from an edge area of the container box transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rod, against which one end of the rod can come to rest.

In order to simplify the assembly of the storage container, preferably at least one of the drillings, preferably both drillings are formed in respectively one head piece which is clipped into a locating recess of the container box.

This locating recess is preferably open towards the inside of the container box so that the head piece clipped therein is not visible from outside.

Especially favourable for the manufacture of the head piece by injection moulding is a shape where the head piece comprises an outer wall and a side flank offset from the outer wall in which at least one drilling is formed and the spring element or the stop protrudes from the outer wall.

Further features and advantages of the invention are obtained from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the appended figures. In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inside of a refrigerator door fitted with storage containers according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded partial inner view of a storage container according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the head piece from FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section through the head piece along the plane IV-IV from FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows an arrangement of two head pieces and two rods according to a second embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of one of the head pieces from FIG. 5 with rods engaging therein.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective inner view of a door 1 of a refrigerator. Four storage containers 2 to 5 are mounted on the door by means of detachable clip connections. The storage containers 2, 4, 5 are constructed of a container box 7 which has an elongated cut-out 9 on a visible side 8 and a single cylindrical metal rod 11 in the case of the storage containers 2, 4 or two metal rods 11 in the case of the higher storage container 5 which extend transversely over the cut-out 9 and are held at their ends in the container box 7. The cut-out 9 extends in each case from the upper edge of the visible side 8 over about half of its width.

FIG. 2 shows in an exploded diagram how the rod 11 is mounted on the visible side 8 of the container box 7. The figure is a perspective view of the visible side wall 13 of the container box 7 and a narrow side wall 14 seen from the inside of the storage container. A locating recess 15 which is open towards the inside of the container and towards the edge 12 of the cut-out 9 is formed on the side wall 13. A head piece 16 is provided for positive engagement in the locating recess 15. The head piece 16 has two drillings 17, each dimensioned to receive an end of the rod 11.

If the head piece 16 is used on a high storage container such as the container 5 for example, a rod 11 is inserted in each drilling 17 and the arrangement thus formed from two rods 11 and two head pieces 16 is inserted from the interior of the container box 7 into the two locating recesses 15 in the direction of the arrow A.

When used together with a low container box, as in the case of the storage containers 2, 4, only the upper drilling 17 of the head piece 16 is provided with a rod 11; the lower drilling can be closed with a plastic stopper (not shown) so that it does not attract the attention of an observer and cannot collect any dirt. This stopper, the head piece 16 and the container box 7 preferably consist of the same plastic material. FIG. 3 shows a view of the head piece 6 from a direction parallel to the drillings 17. A flexible tongue 18 which can be pressed in, can be identified on the underside of the head piece 16, which tongue is forced into the interior of the head piece 16 when the head piece 16 is pushed into the locating recess 15 and as soon as this head piece has reached its end position in the locating recess 15, is unfolded elastically again and engages in a recess 19 of the lower side wall of the locating recess 15 in order to lock the head piece 16 therein. Corresponding tongues and indentations can also be provided on other side faces of the head piece 16 and the locating recess 15.

FIG. 4 shows a section through the head piece 16 along the plane designated by IV-IV in FIG. 3.

It can be seen that the drillings 17 are blind holes which each contain spring elements in a rear area in the form of buffer members 25 made of an elastic foam material. The width of the cut-out 9, the depth of the drillings 17 and the length of the rods 11 are matched to one another such that the buffer members 25 are compressed by the rods 11 when the head pieces 16 are mounted in their locating recesses 15. The rods 11 are thus held in the drillings 17 free from play in their longitudinal direction and thus cannot cause any noise.

A second preferred embodiment of the invention is shown with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an arrangement of two rods 11 and two head pieces 16 in a configuration suitable for clipping into the locating recesses 15 of the container box 7. FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of one of the head pieces 16 with rods 11 inserted in its drillings 17.

The head piece 16 has an approximately rectangular shape with an outer wall 20 facing away from the observer in the diagram in FIG. 6 and a side flank 21 moulded thereon at right angles, in which drillings 17 are formed. When the head piece 16 is mounted in its locating recess, the outer wall 20 and the side flank 21 remain free. An opposing side flank 22 parallel to the side flank 21 comes to rest on a wall of the locating recess 15 in the mounted state. Locating hooks 23 protrude from the upper and lower edge of the outer wall 20 which engage in complementary locating indentations of the locating recess 15 in the mounted state.

Two tongues 24 protrude at right angles from the outer wall 20 parallel to the side flanks 21, 22 and there between. The material thickness of the tongues 24 is less than that of the side flanks 21, 22 so that said tongues are flexible unlike the latter. In the mounted state the tongues 24 are elastically bent by the contacting tips of the rods 11 and press these in each case in the direction of the opposing head piece 16. Like the buffer members 25 the tongues 24 compensate for variations in the dimensions of the rods 11 or the container box 7 and hold the rods 11 free from play.

The head piece 16 is symmetrical in relation to a horizontal plane extending between the two drillings 17. Thus, the head piece 16 can be used in identical shaping in the mirror-symmetrically opposed locating recesses 15 on both sides of the cut-out 9. 

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A storage container for a refrigerator, comprising: a container box having a cut-out on a visible side of said container box when mounted in the refrigerator; at least one rod running transversely through said cut-out; said rod engaging in two drillings formed on opposing edges of said cut-out; a spring element associated with at least one of said drillings which spring element presses said rod in its longitudinal direction towards a stop in the second one of said drillings.
 8. The storage container according to claim 7, including said stop of said second drilling is also a spring element.
 9. The storage container according to claim 7, including said spring element is a tongue which projects from the wall area of said container box transversely to said longitudinal direction of the rod.
 10. The storage container according to claim 7, including at least one of said drillings is formed in a head piece clipped into a locating recess of said container box.
 11. The storage container according to claim 10, including said locating recess open towards the interior of said container box.
 12. The storage container according to claim 10, including said head piece including an outer wall and a side flank offset from said outer wall, wherein said at least one drilling is formed and that one of said spring element and said stop protrude from said outer wall. 